Yes, it’s true – showcased at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the Porsche 918 has been cleared for limited production. The decision was taken by the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG, after the Plug-in-Hybrid supercar received an overwhelming response at the Geneva and Beijing Auto Shows earlier this year. The 918 is completely revolutionary – in that it provides true supercar performance with the aid of environmentally friendly technology.
The 918 carries forward the stunning design of Porsche’s last supercar – the Carrera GT – only, this takes it up a notch, and manages to be functional while still being absolutely beautiful. The powertrain combines a high-revving V8 with electric drive. The IC engine is an evolved version of the 3.4 litre V8 powering Porsche’s RS Spyder racecars. The motor revs to an incredible 9,200rpm, and develops more than 500bhp. But that’s not all. Twin electric motors, capable of an overall mechanical output of 218bhp, provide drive to both the front and rear axle. Imagine the combined effect of over 700bhp – it’s going to be colossal! A classic motoring example of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Porsche has made a supercar that can be economical and brutal at the same time. On the one hand, it’s capable of an all-electric range of 30 kilometers, and providing overall fuel efficiency figures to the tune of 40 kilometers per liter. On the other hand, it can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds, and achieve a top whack of 320km/h.
The 918 is noteworthy in many other ways as well, including its ultra-strong carbon-fiber monocoque chassis, cameras that replace traditional side-and-rear view mirrors, racecar like side exhausts, a steering mounted knob to choose driving modes ranging from electric, hybrid, and race, and a touch screen center console. The point is – if this is the future of eco-friendly motoring, then the future is very bright indeed.
Rumours of Honda producing a hybrid version of its compact offering, the Jazz, have been doing the rounds for many years now. Honda has historically reacted by stating that they’re satisfied with the fuel efficiency of the gasoline engine powering the hatch, and therefore weren’t looking at adding hybrid drive. However, as a reaction to ever-increasing prices of crude, Honda’s president and CEO in 2008, Takeo Fukui, made a public statement indicating that a hybrid version of the Jazz was indeed starting to make sense.
Following this, several business dailies carried reports that Honda might launch the Jazz Hybrid in Japan by fall 2010 – a full year-and-a-half ahead of schedule. And it appears that prediction was bang on. The Honda Jazz Hybrid will be making its debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show later this year. The Jazz Hybrid will be the first parallel hybrid B-segment car available to the public.
The Jazz will be powered by a 1.3-liter inline-four gasoline engine with Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist. The electric motor is sandwiched between a CVT transmission and the IC engine, creating a parallel hybrid arrangement. Honda’s IMA system is the result of two decades of intense development, and already has ten years of production to its credit. There are over half-a-million vehicles on the road running with the IMA hybrid drive mechanism, which speaks volumes of its credibility
and efficiency.
The Jazz Hybrid will flaunt revised headlights with blue surrounds, a new front grille, restyled bumpers, and chrome decoration on the tailgate. The Jazz Hybrid is expected to go on sale in some European nations by the first quarter of 2011. Honda tried, but failed miserably with the Civic Hybrid in India – owing primarily to its exorbitant price courtesy of our duty structure. However, the Jazz hasn’t managed to set the sales chart on fire either, and it’ll be interesting to see if Honda considers bringing in the Jazz Hybrid at a price under 10 lakhs – a tough task no doubt, but an intriguing prospect nonetheless.
